Olympic Reads

Are you watching the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris? Here’s a list of inspiring, Olympic-themed books to get you through the summer games. Read with the Olympics in the background, and bookmark when your favorite event starts.

Updated June 18, 2024
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The boys in the boat : nine Americans and their epic quest for gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics
Brown, Daniel
Paper Book
Now a Major Motion Picture Directed by George Clooney The #1 New York Times-bestselling story about the American Olympic rowing triumph in Nazi Germany--from the author of Facing the Mountain. For readers of Unbroken, out of the depths of the...
Good to go : what the athlete in all of us can learn from the strange science of recovery
Aschwanden, Christie
Paper Book
A New York Times Sports and Fitness Bestseller An eye-opening exploration of how the human body can best recover and adapt to sports and fitness training. In recent years recovery has become a sports and fitness buzzword. Anyone who works out or competes at...
Limitless : the power of hope and resilience to overcome circumstance
Weggemann, Mallory
Paper Book
Meet Mallory Weggemann: a Paralympic gold-medalist, world champion swimmer, ESPY winner, and NBC Sports commentator whose extraordinary story will give you the encouragement you need to rise up to meet any challenge you face in life. On January 21, 2008, a routine medical...
Gold
Cleave, Chris.
Paper Book
Building on the tradition of Little Bee, Chris Cleave again writes with elegance, humor, and passion about friendship, marriage, parenthood, tragedy, and redemption. What would you sacrifice for the people you love? KATE AND ZOE met at nineteen when they both...
The games : a global history of the Olympics
Goldblatt, David
Paper Book
The definitive sports and social history of the modern Olympic games--by a New York Times best-selling sportswriter. A Boston Globe Best Book of 2016 A Kirkus Reviews Best Nonfiction Book of 2016 For millions of people around the world, the...
The race to be myself : a memoir
Semenya, Caster
Paper Book
Olympian and World Champion Caster Semenya is finally ready to share the vivid and heartbreaking story of how the world came to know her name. Thrust into the spotlight at just eighteen years old after winning the Berlin World Championships in 2009, Semenya's win was quickly overshadowed by...
Coming up for air
Daley, Tom
Paper Book
A deeply personal and inspiring memoir from the celebrated Olympic gold medal diver and LGBTQ+ advocate, who is set to make history in his fifth Olympic games in Paris 2024 Tom Daley is one of the most beloved athletes of our time,  garnering Olympic diving medals and...
Strong like a woman : 100 game-changing female athletes
Litman, Laken
Paper Book
Marking the 50th anniversary of Title IX, this is an inspiring celebration of 100 women who are still paving the way for future generations of female athletes. This important and groundbreaking volume chronicles both the breadth and rich diversity of sports and the athletes who compete in them:...
Path lit by lightning : the life of Jim Thorpe
Maraniss, David
Paper Book
A riveting new biography of America's greatest all-around athlete by the bestselling author of the classic biography When Pride Still Mattered. Jim Thorpe rose to world fame as a mythic talent who excelled at every sport. He won gold medals in the decathlon and pentathlon...
Rise : my story
Vonn, Lindsey
Paper Book
The first ever memoir from the most decorated female skier of all time, revealing never-before-told stories of her life in the fast lane, her struggle with depression, and the bold decisions that helped her break down barriers on and off the slopes. 82 World Cup wins. 20...
For the glory : Eric Liddell's journey from Olympic champion to modern martyr
Hamilton, Duncan
Paper Book
The untold and inspiring story of Eric Liddell, hero of Chariots of Fire, from his Olympic medal to his missionary work in China to his last, brave years in a Japanese work camp during WWII Many people will remember Eric Liddell as the Olympic gold medalist from the...
Inaugural ballers : the true story of the first U.S. Women's Olympic basketball team
Maraniss, Andrew
Paper Book
From the New York Times bestselling author of Strong Inside comes the inspirational true story of the birth of women's Olympic basketball at the 1976 Summer Games and the ragtag team that put US women's basketball on the map. Perfect for fans of Steve Sheinkin and Daniel James Brown...
The Hard Parts: A Memoir of Courage and Triumph
Masters, Oksana
Paper Book
A 2024 Christopher Award Winner "A gut-wrenching, wildly inspiring story about overcoming the most daunting obstacles through steely tenacity, sheer will, and a great big dose of motherly love." --Jeannette Walls, #1 New York Times bestselling author of<...
Work with what you got
Clark, Zion
Paper Book
Elite wheelchair racer, wrestler, and America's Got Talent contestant Zion Clark joins with New York Times best-selling author James S. Hirsch for a stunning memoir--recounting childhood adversity, awe-inspiring perseverance, and self-invention. When a baby named...
The other Olympians : fascism, queerness, and the making of modern sports
Waters, Michael
Paper Book
Named one of the Best Books of 2024 by The New Yorker "Michael Waters performs an Olympian act of storytelling, using the stories of these extraordinary athletes to explore in brilliant detail the struggle for understanding and equality." --Jonathan Eig, author of...
Victory. Stand! : raising my fist for justice
Smith, Tommie
Paper Book
On October 16, 1968, during the medal ceremony at the Mexico City Olympics, Tommie Smith, the gold medal winner in the 200-meter sprint, and John Carlos, the bronze medal winner, stood on the podium in black socks and raised their black-gloved fists to protest racial injustice inflicted upon...
Relentless spirit : the unconventional raising of a champion
Franklin, Missy
Paper Book
What does it take to become a champion? Gold medalist Missy Franklin, along with her parents, D.A. and Dick, tell the inspirational and heartwarming story of how Missy became both a legendary athlete and a happy and confident woman, something they accomplished by doing things their own way and...
Freedom to win : a Cold War story of the courageous hockey team that fought the Soviets for the soul of its people--and Olympic gold
Scheiner, Ethan
Paper Book
A classic David & Goliath tale, complete with colorful heroes, cold-hearted villains, and nail-biting games--with the hockey rink serving as an arena for a nation's resistance. During the height of the Cold War, a group of small-town young men would lead their underdog hockey...
One jump at a time : my story
Chen, Nathan
Paper Book
In this exhilarating memoir, three-time World Champion and Olympic gold-medalist Nathan Chen tells the story of his remarkable journey to success, reflecting on his life as a Chinese American figure skater and the joys and challenges he has experienced--including the tremendous...
Coach K : the rise and reign of Mike Krzyzewski
O'Connor, Ian
Paper Book
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER The definitive biography of college basketball's all-time winningest coach, Mike Krzyzewski. Mike Krzyzewski, known worldwide as "Coach K," is a five-time national champion at Duke, the NCAA's all-time leader in victories with nearly 1,200, and the...
Fast girls : a novel of the 1936 women's Olympic team
Hooper, Elise
Paper Book
ONE OF THE MOST ANTICIPATED BOOKS OF THE SUMMER BY POPSUGAR, FROLIC, PARADE, TRAVEL & LEISURE, SHE KNOWS, and SHE READS!  NAMED A REAL SIMPLE BEST BOOK OF 2020 (SO FAR). "Fast Girls is a compelling, thrilling look at what it takes to be a female Olympian in pre...
My marathon : reflections on a Gold Medal life
Shorter, Frank
Paper Book
My Marathon- Reflections on a Gold Medal Life is a revealing memoir by Frank Shorter, the father of American distance running. After winning the 1969 NCAA title in the 10,000-meters title during his senior year at Yale, Shorter went on to win a staggering 24 national titles on track, road, and cross...
Far beyond gold : running from fear to faith
McLaughlin, Sydney
Paper Book
What fears are standing in your way or holding you back? How do you want to become stronger? Olympic and World champion hurdler Sydney McLaughlin wants to help you answer these questions as she shares her personal story of struggles and victories, of faith and transformation. Sydney...
The rat catchers' olympics
Cotterill, Colin
Paper Book
1980: The Democratic People's Republic of Laos is proud to be competing in its first-ever Olympics. Ex-national coroner of Laos Dr. Siri Paiboun may be retired, but he and his wife, Madame Daeng, would do just about anything to have a chance to visit Moscow, so Siri finagles them the job of medical...
Illustrated Black history : honoring the iconic and the unseen
McCalman, George
Paper Book
*AWARD WINNER* of the NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Literary Work - Debut Author / and the NCBR Recognition Award A gorgeous collection of 145 original portraits that celebrates Black pioneers--famous and little-known--in politics, science, literature, music, and more-...
Includes a great section on the 1936 Olympics.
Tough girl : lessons in courage and heart from Olympic gold to the Camino de Santiago
Wood, Carolyn
Paper Book
A coming-of-age memoir of a young swimmer's triumphs and heartbreaks on the path to winning Olympic gold at age 14. Some 50 years later, author Carolyn Wood embarks on a solo pilgrimage to walk the 500 miles of the Camino de Santiago in an attempt to reclaim her "inner tough girl" as she reflects on...
The Sixth Man : a memoir
Iguodala, Andre
Paper Book
**The Instant National Bestseller** The standout memoir from NBA powerhouse Andre Iguodala, the indomitable sixth man of the Golden State Warriors. Fresh off the Warriors' fourth Finals win in eight years, Andre Iguodala long has been one of the most admired players...
Godspeed : a memoir
Legler, Casey
Paper Book
Longlisted for the 2019 PEN/ESPN Literary Sports Writing Award "Raw and poetic...lean and ferocious." --The New York Times "I swim for every chance to get wasted--after every meet, every weekend, every travel trip. This is what I look forward to and...
The horsewoman : a novel
Patterson, James
Paper Book
This "hugely entertaining, riveting page-turner" (Louise Penny) follows the complicated relationship between mother and daughter as they face off in the Olympics--and into a ride they can barely control. Maggie Atwood and Becky McCabe, mother and daughter, both champion...

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